the vine that connects us all

Compare and contrast Richard Wright’s socialist-driven naturalism in “Down By the Riverside” with Lorraine Hansberry’s liberal-inflected realism in A Raisin in the Sun. How do these two examples of protest literature confront and process racism and racial segregation? What is the most salient difference that distinguishes their distinct narrative modes? And how might these two modes differently be inspired by and/or promote the struggle for racial equality during the civil rights movement? The works of Richard Wright and Lorraine Hansberry are both great examples of stories with a greater message interwoven into the text. They both are great examples of protest literature that help the reader grasp larger themes in terms of the contemporary issues they relate to. But to understand how well these novels do, we must analyze each one individually and compare it to the others. How good a job does each one do at confronting and processing racism and racial segregation? Well, starting off wi...

Throughout all of our readings, I have found several examples of how vernacular traditions have been portrayed. For me, vernacular traditions are a great example of why you can see culture evolve over time and the role it played or still plays to this day. It's an insight into people's beliefs and a way for them to express themselves. Specifically, in African American literature, the use of vernacular traditions is used to express the author's struggles or convey a deeper message. We see several examples of this in works of literature, like A Black Man Talks of Reaping,g or poems like Langston Hughes ' “Harlem” are clear examples of how authors used vernacular traditions in their writing.  For instance, "Harlem" by Langston Hughes uses plain spoken language to evoke a sense of imagery. By using everyday words like rotten meat, sun, or syrup, the reader can visualize what is being said and feel a more profound connection to the writing. The poem also reflects o...